Norifumi Yamamoto

Donald Cerrone overcame a slow start to submit Paul Kelly with a second-round rear naked-choke in his UFC debut. The bout served as the feature preliminary attraction at UFC 126 on Saturday.

Cerrone (14-3) may have been thrown off at the start of the fight, as Kelly (11-4) threw a punch while Cerrone was attempting to touch gloves. Kelly held his own in the first round, giving up a pair of takedown attempts but landing his fair share of punches and kicks.

Much of the same went on in the second, until Cerrone took Kelly down and quickly moved to mount. Kelly gave up his back and Cerrone dealt out some punishment before locking in the choke and forcing a tap.

Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort hit the marks for their UFC 126 middleweight title bout tomorrow night in Las Vegas, and then nearly came to blows during a staredown.

In response to remarks Belfort made about Silva "wearing a mask" as a fighter, the champion did just that, donning a plain white mask and going nose-to-nose with Belfort. The two exchanged words and had to be held back by their cornermen before being separated.

All fighters successfully made weight with the exception of Mike Pierce, who weighed in one pound over the welterweight limit. Video of the weigh-ins are after the jump.

Japanese stars Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Tatsuya Kawajiri are expected to appear on the upcoming DREAM.11 event scheduled for October 6 at the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, Japan. No opponents have been named at this time.

DREAM.11 will air live on HDNet and features the DREAM featherweight grand prix semi-final and final along with the semi-final for the “Super Hulk” tournament.

— Former pound-for-pound phenom Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto will return to action a little less than two months after suffering his first professional MMA loss in seven years at K-1’s “World MAX 2009” event on July 13 in a kickboxing bout. “Kid” will be fighting Jae hee Cheon in a three-round matchup. Other notable MMA fighters competing include Tatsuya Kawajiri and Atsushi Yamamoto. [Japan-MMA.com]

— Longtime veteran Dennis Hallman will now be facing training partner Justin Davis in a catch-weight bout at tomorrow night’s “Strikeforce Challengers: Villasenor vs. Cyborg” event at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. Hallman was originally slated to take on Cedric Marks, who was forced out of the bout after reportedly competing this past weekend and acquiring a medical suspension because of it. A lightweight bout between Jorge Gurgel and Conor Heun will also now be contested at a catch-weight of 160 lbs. [MMA Junkie]

If you thought that the war between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn was over, think again. Penn’s camp has informed Sherdog.com that they intend to file a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission after officials spotted one of St. Pierre’s cornermen allegedly rubbed Vaseline on his back in between the first and second and then the second and third rounds.

“We are not trying to make excuses, but the NSAC needs to protect the fighters,” Penn told Sherdog.com via text message. “They never notified us or completely wiped his back with water and towels.”

Various reports are circulating that following the conclusion of the first round, Phil Nurse, who has been working St. Pierre’s corner for a number of years, was caught by someone sitting at ringside rubbing Vaseline on St. Pierre’s back and shoulders. It has yet to be confirmed that this person was former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, but “The Iceman” was the first to inform UFC President Dana White of the incident after the conclusion of the fight, which St. Pierre won via fourth-round doctor’s stoppage.

DREAM parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group today revealed the promotion’s schedule for the new year, with DREAM’s first show being held on March 8 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and featuring the opening rounds of the organization’s inaugural featherweight and welterweight grand prix tournaments.

In total, DREAM will put on seven total shows in ‘09. Solidified dates for shows include April 5 at Nippon Gaishi Hall and December 31 at the Saitama Super Arena for the annual year-end K-1 Dynamite show. DREAM officials are also planning to hold shows in May, July, September, and October.

The news comes from Jordan Breen of Sherdog.com, who reports that Yamamoto could be sidelined for up to six months after a failed flying knee attempt during a recent sparring session caused an awkward landing and the sound of a pop inside of Kid’s right leg. An MRI shows that Yamamoto suffered a partial tear of his right anterior cruciate ligament, however it won’t be determined whether surgery is necessary or not until sometime next week.

DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara has stated that he is currently looking for a late replacement opponent for Benavidez. One option Sasahara has is matching up Benavidez and former DEEP title challenger Takeshi Yamazaki. Hideo Tokoro, Yamazaki’s scheduled opponent at the event, was hospitalized earlier this week after suffering a back injury in a minor car accident, leaving his participation in doubt.

Monday’s injury-plagued card also saw former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight contender Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic bow out after having to undergo knee and elbow surgery that will put him out of action until this fall. His opponent, Jerome LeBanner was also forced to pull out of a proposed bout against fellow former kickboxer Mark Hunt after LeBanner was injured during a recent K-1 rules bout against Semmy Schilt.

Yamamoto originally informed the Japanese media last month that he hoped to return to the ring this summer. His contract with Fight Entertainment Group will have him competing inside the confines of DREAM exclusively. The 31-year-old has been with FEG since leaving Shooto in 2003.

While Yamamoto remains unsure of which weight he will fight at, it’s expected that he will take his talents to DREAM’s newly created featherweight division. Yamamoto last stopped World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Rani Yahya with strikes at K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite!! on New Year’s Eve.